The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) has commended the Federal Government’s recent border closure   initiative saying that the exercise commenced in August 2019 has yielded positive dividends across various sectors of the country’s economy.

Specifically, the organization said that the government’s  partial closure of borders across the country was a healthy proactive measure which has helped tremendously, especially in the fight at containing the scourge of corona virus pandemic and similar other dangerous diseases  which could have found their way into the country.

Expressing the Service’s commendations was the Deputy Comptroller of Customs, Mr. Joseph Attah while speaking recently during an exclusive interview with The new Narratives.

Attah who Spoke via the telephone observed that the borders closure exercise had yielded positive results in preserving the country’s revenues expended on food importations and thereby promoting  local production of agricultural products in the country.

According to the NCS boss, the border closure policy was a blessing in disguise, pointing out that the exercise had to a large extent stemmed the high rate of smuggling activities at the country’s border areas just as it had curbed rate of similar dangerous diseases that would have found their way in the country if the borders were left open.

“You will recall that on the 20th August 2019 the Federal Government commenced the partial border closure. That decision was as if the government saw tomorrow. That is what has helped today because the closure of the border had restricted the coming of so many foods and all that, and encouraged agricultural production in the country.”

“When people return to farm, factories sprang up and all that. Those increase in food production is what Nigerians are depending upon  right now because in this period of global lockdown, how could we have survived if there was no increase in local production, and the deceases that would have come in had it been that the borders were let lose, very open as it was before”.

He added that aside from the border closure and its resulting benefits, the Customs Service had  collaborated with the network of other securities agencies in the country  including the Armed Forces,  the Police and Immigrations as well as other intelligence operatives in tackling other security border challenges across the country.

Attah who made critical assessment of the Customs services operations, especially since  advent of the current democratic dispensation  in the country noted that the Nigerian Custom Service operations had experienced improvements in growth and performances in areas cutting across infrastructure, including logistics, welfare and capacity building which was well enabled with introduction of the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) by the NCS administration.

He however highlighted the areas of critical challenges currently bedeviling the service to include, among other things, the issue of compliance and integrity on the part of operatives and stakeholders across the clearance chain in the country as well as the network of other governmental agencies working in unism with the Customs service.

The NCS boss further explained that the organization had put in place several measures with the objective of addressing the challenges through sensitization through the media, as well as other punitive measures that includes outright dismissals an demotion of erring operatives.

“Apart from the fact that we will only seize,  arrest and prosecute and all that, patriotism, re-orientation,  and sensitization through you the media are all be part of the things that will change attitudes and  as we need attitudinal change, people should begin to see this as doing it for country and not for self”. He concluded.